Hantavirus-exposed cruise passengers may soon be allowed to return home but must remain under 24/7 watch

(CNN) — The US government is prepared to allow American passengers who were exposed to a unique strain of hantavirus to return home as early as Monday, provided their states post a monitoroutside their homes 24/7 for the remaining three weeks of their six-week quarantine.

It could be a police officer or a public health worker, according to two of the passengers now in quarantine in Nebraska, who participated in a video call with government officials Thursday. The passengers, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said the purpose of the call was to explain the logistics of how they could return home.

The passengers are part of a group of 18 Americans who were on board the MV Hondius cruise ship as it sailed to some of the most remote islands in the South Atlantic this spring. On board the ship, several passengers became severely ill, and two died before the illness was identified as the Andes strain of hantavirus, which can spread from person to person.

There have been 13 total cases of Andes hantavirus linked to the ship and three deaths. It can take up to six weeks for a person who’s been exposed to the virus to show symptoms, which is why the World Health Organization has recommended that the passengers remain in qu...